Thread: REM sleep

how do i wake up during REM sleep

I don't get ur full question?
Like wake up lucidly knowing u r in REM....having someone wake u up? or what?

Set your alarm clock to 4-5 hours after you go to sleep. You may need more or less time, it varies from person to person.

thanks, i will definitely try that

well... first of all why?

REM happens 4-5 times a night... do you want to wake up 5 times a night? plus, you need your REM... if you're REM sleep deprived it will catch up to you during the day.

REM occurs every 90 minutes or so... not 4-5 hours into the sleep...

but again, why would you want to do that?

im just trying to wake up at the best time to recall my dreams

Originally posted by adidas
REM occurs every 90 minutes or so... not 4-5 hours into the sleep...

Actually, it varies as a person sleeps. REM time is less when a person first falls asleep, but becomes longer as the night progresses.

no, REM takes 90 minutes to occur. the cycle takes 90 minutes and REM is at the end of the cycle. it's length does get longer at the end of the night but the sleep stages get proportionally shorter to compensate, making the average roughly 90 minutes until each REM.

Originally posted by lee
im just trying to wake up at the best time to recall my dreams

ok then yes, waking up 4-5 hours after sleep would be just about right... just have a pad and paper ready.

what if i sleep and set my alarm for seven or eight hours later, would i miss any potential dreams or REM?

I guess you would... Laberge says its best if u set it after 6 hours of sleep, then write down your dreams and then sleep another 2 or more hours. This is becuz after 6 hours of sleep (this isn´t the same for all ppl) your REM periods last longer, which makes it easier for you to have LDs and you are generally more aware. You should only try this if u go to sleep early (between 10 and 12 o clock) cuz if u go to bed later, u´ll wake up even later at times where u will be a lot more awake and thereby less sleepy.

I'll add this to my PIC program for the inexpensive device I'm working on. Trigger wakeup alarm at end-of-REM. Sound right?

Originally posted by adidas
no, REM takes 90 minutes to occur. the cycle takes 90 minutes and REM is at the end of the cycle.

That's not entirely accurate. I can sometimes slip immediately into a dream state upon falling asleep. In fact, that is the crux of WILDing. WBTB is optional - though it does help, it is not necessay.

REM sleep latency is dependent on many factors...

1. As you sleep longer, your NREM cycles become shorter and your REM cycles longer. That's why you have to WILD in the morning. It won't work earlier, because you just can't remain conscious during an NREM cycle that long.
2. Significant disturbance to your sleeping pattern (i.e. sleep deprivation) can cause you to go nearly directly into REM.
3. Narcoleptics have a reversed sleep cycle; they begin with a lengthy REM cycle, then their NREM cycle gets progressively longer. Unfortunately, I can't convince my narcoleptic friend to try lucid dreaming...

And there's nothing particularly harmful/fatiguing about waking up 4-5 times a night, provided it happens at the end of your REM cycle. I do it naturally. Sometimes I end up recording 6 or 7 dreams in 8 hours of sleep